Blood filled the air as Issei took another devastating blow from the unknown assailant attacking him. This person was tough and Issei was already mentally and physically exhausted, the way he was, the fight wouldn't continue for much longer.
Issei jumped over the attacker and spun around to deliver and punch to the back, only to have it blocked by a quick roundhouse kick from the assailant who then brutally uppercut Issei and laughed as he flew to the floor, bloody and beaten.
"Hahaha, how pathetic, here I thought the mighty red dragon emperor would have more fight in him, how disappointing" gloated the attacker as he laughed deeply and darkly.
"Urrgh, y-you piece of-" growled Issei painfully before he was interrupted by a kick to the face that sent him flying into a wall.
Issei slumped down to the ground slowly and lay there bleeding profusely. He looked to his left and say the lifeless body of Asia, her twilight healing shattered on the ground next to her, Issei looked to the right and saw Raynare in the same state, her wings all ripped out roughly and her skull caved in.
Tears escaped his eyes as Issei squeezed them shut and prepared for his end.
"Issei Hyoudou, unless you want this to happen you must grow stronger, now... WAKE UP".
Issei woke with a start, drenched in a cold sweat. He looked around and saw he was on his couch accompanied by the two women he thought he'd just lost. He saw they were both sleeping blissfully and decided to quietly wiggle out of their grasp to get some food without waking them.
Issei stepped into the kitchen and opened the fridge, after pondering for a moment he settled on a glass of milk and a banana. He poured milk into a glass, grabbed a banana from the bunch in the fruit basket on the counter and sat at the island (counter in the middle of the kitchen you can sit at) to reflect on his dream. While he wasn't one to typically believe in visions of the future through dream, Issei had to admit that the dream he'd just experienced felt as real as the milk he was drinking.
Issei sighed heavily, pondering upon the identity of the attacker in his dream and the meaning of getting stronger than he was, before being awoken from his thoughts by a gentle hand on his back.
He turned around to see Raynare behind him wearing an expression he couldn't quite make out but there was a tinge of worry to it.
"You okay?" asked Raynare, her voice laced with concern.
"I'm... fine" Issei replied, pausing mid reply.
Raynare gently took a hold of Issei's head and turned it to face her.
"I can tell you're not" insisted Raynare in a soft voice, this would require some coaxing to ensure she knew what was bothering the man who helped her cut her ties with the evil she had been ensnared in.
Issei sighed in response, she wasn't going to let up about it until he told her about the dream so he just came out with it.
"I had a dream where a masked assailant killed you and Asia then told me to get stronger unless I really wanted that to happen, then they told me to wake up and that's when I so" answered Issei bluntly.
"Well... that was unexpected" replied Raynare in a surprised voice, she hadn't thought of Issei as the type to form strong enough bonds to dream about them being taken from him, it was a natural thing for lovers, siblings, parents, but for two people he met a couple of days ago? It was strange without a doubt.
"Really?" asked Issei whilst he ate his banana.
"Yeah, I didn't think you were the type to form strong bonds after all that has happened to you, especially not as quickly as you have with me and Asia, the dream you described is basically your mind telling you to become stronger to protect the people you love, I can only assume those people are me and Asia since we were the only others in your dream" explained Raynare, she learnt a lot about reading men form her... past work.
Issei surprised to say the least, he knew that Raynare was clever from their past encounters but he had no idea of the true extent of Raynare's judgement, this girl has seen straight through him and understood the dream he'd been stumped by perfectly. But if she was correct, that meant he felt... Issei looked over to the still sleeping Asia and then to Raynare next to him, his face turned as scarlet as his balance breaker.
"Hahaha, it seems you just understood the full meaning of my explanation" chuckled Raynare, knowing exactly what has caused the boy to blush so much.
Issei did not like how easily this woman saw through him.
He stood up with a small smile and hugged Raynare who blushed behind Issei's back and returned the hug shortly after. Just before he went upstairs he leaned in close to Raynare and whispered in her ear.
"Don't think I didn't see that" Issei whispered playfully, with that he left the room and a steadily growing blushing Raynare behind.
Issei climbed the stairs to his room and closed the door behind him. Looking over at the clock, he saw it was 3am.
"Crap, I have to get up for school at 8am, there's no way i'll be able to get back to sleep after that... little session" he thought aloud.
He looked at his left hand where Ddraig resided and realised that he hadn't properly talked to Ddraig outside of battle since their conversation in Heaven. There was plenty of time before he needed to leave so he decided to become better acquainted with his partner.
"Hey Ddraig" Issei called.
(Issei?) answered Ddraig with some confusion, he hadn't expected to be contacted by his host.
"Can you pull me into the gear, i'd like to speak to you in private?" asked Issei.
(Alright) replied the dragon as he pulled Issei into the gear where he was sealed.
Issei awoke in a dark place filled with fire, it was hard to see around but that problem was soon resolved when his vision lit up enough to see the whole area and by extension, the massive red dragon in front of him.
(I wasn't expecting you to want to talk to me, what's so important?) asked Ddraig, confused at why his partner has suddenly asked to speak with him here.
"I wanted to get to know you" replied Issei.
(What?) replied Ddraig, even more confused than before.
"Do you remember the first time we spoke to each other?" asked Issei.
(Of course I do, it was just after you'd been saved by Gabriel) replied the dragon. Even he tensed slightly at the spike in Issei's aura at the mention of the female seraph, it was probably best to avoid the name.
"Yes... well, we spoke then and introduced ourselves but we never got the chance to really get to know each other before I found out about my sister and..." Issei paused at the recollection of his sister's sacrifice and the year he'd spent in ignorance of Ddraig's feelings about having a host that wanted to die.
"For a year I ignored you, never tried to reach out or climb out of the pit of despair I was wallowing in, I never thought about how you felt about having to live a whole year with the only person you could talk to wanting to die and get away from you as soon as possible. For that, I apologise, but that was then and this is now, right now we have the time and the chance to start over, to sit down and understand each other. So what do you say Ddraig, shall we leave the past behind and start anew?" asked Issei.
Ddraig was shocked, he hadn't realised that his partner felt this much regret and sorrow for allowing himself to isolate the dragon for a whole year, not only had he emerged from the depths of despair and swore to protect everyone he cared about, but now Issei wanted to make amends with him and start their relationship on a new, good term.
(Issei... I would very much appreciate that) answered Ddraig with happiness evident in his voice, finally he'd be able to speak with the one his soul was bonded to.
"Good, ok so, my name is Issei Hyoudou, i'm 17 years old and I attend Kuoh Acadamy" Issei stated.
(Pleased to properly meet you Issei, my name is Ddraig, I am the welsh dragon of domination sealed within this sacred gear you possess called the boosted gear) replied Ddraig.
"Do you know how well I can use the gear currently Ddraig?" asked Issei.
(Currently you have unlocked balance breaker as well as another ability called the juggernaut drive but I suggest you stay away from the latter since unless you have complete mastery of it, the form will shred your life force apart) answered Ddraig.
"Any idea how far along I am to mastering the juggernaut drive" asked Issei.
(If I had to guess i'd assume about 27% as of today) replied Ddraig.
"When did that progress start?" asked Issei.
(It began the moment we first spoke but only went up around 2% until you activated balance breaker due to the lack of use of the boosted gear, once you entered balance breaker it shot up 25%, I predict that if you continue to grow like you are now, mastery of the juggernaut drive will take a few weeks at most) answered Ddraig.
"That's good, if the dream I had was a vision of the future then that may be the power boost I need" stated Issei.
(I also saw the dream you had Issei, be careful though, a need for power to protect others can easily be corrupted by the right people, even the strongest wielders of the boosted gear succumbed to it) warned Ddraig.
"I will be Ddraig, i'm not going to do anything reckless like sacrifice an arm for power or anything ( ;) )" Issei assured the dragon.
(That's good to hear. Now as nice as it's been to properly talk to you partner you're late for school) Ddraig reminded Issei.
"WHAT!?" yelled Issei as he quickly came out of the gear and back to the human world.
Looking at his clock, Issei found that the time was 8:30am, class was starting in 5 minutes and he still wasn't even dressed.
"Aw fuck" cursed Issei as he subsequently turned into a red tornado rushing around the house and then out the door.
Issei arrived at the academy somehow just in time for class but not quick enough to attend the ORC clubroom for the meeting he'd scheduled with Rias.
"I'll have to apologise to Rias when I go to the clubroom after school, I only just have enough time to get to my class" Issei said to himself as he ran through the halls of the academy, making it to his class just in time.
The bell rang to signal lunchtime. Issei stood up from his desk, stretched and made his way back through the halls and out to the grounds of the Academy. Once outside he picked a tall tree with dark green leaves and sat down at it's base. He reached into his bag, pulled out the hastily made sandwiches he'd crafted for himself this morning and took slow bites of it as he leaned back into the trunk of the tree.
Just as the boy was about to drift off into slumber a familiar face appeared next to him and sat down with no regard for his personal space.
"What the hell" mumbled Issei as he opened his eyes and felt no surprise once he realised who was rudely interrupting his naptime.
"Bloody hell Ray I was just about to sleep" groaned Issei, annoyed that his chance at rest had been robbed.
"Sorry Issei I-" Raynare stopped when she realised the nickname Issei had called her.
"Ray?" questioned Raynare.
"I'm tired" stated Issei, clearly not fully awake.
"I like it" replied Raynare.
"You do?" asked Issei, who'd been fully awoken by her unexpected show of cuteness.
"Yes I do... Ise" Raynare replied, testing her own nickname for Issei.
Issei smiled at the mention of his new nickname and nodded to let Raynare know he liked it. Raynare then leant back into Issei's chest and closed her eyes which Issei responded to by softly chuckling, he wrapped his arms gently around her waist, leant back into the tree trunk and closed his eyes once more.
It was late evening by the time Issei awoke, initially stressed that he'd missed his afternoon classes, he realised that nothing could be done about it and the class was boring anyway so he just stared up at the sky for a further 10 minutes until Raynare started to shift in his arms and her eyes fluttered open.
Raynare blushed rose red once she saw the position she was in with Issei but the feeling of warmth and comfort he gave her won against her embarrassment so she just adjusted herself so she could look at Issei and smiled.
"Evening sleepy head" remarked Issei with a small smile adorning his face.
"What?" Raynare questioned before she looked at the setting sun and jumped up in shock as she realised just how long they'd both slept.
"Oh god Ise i'm sorry, I made you miss your classes" apologised Raynare as she bowed before Issei.
Issei stood up and cupped Raynare's face with his hands, bringing it up and making eye contact with her.
"It's fine Ray, those classes were boring anyway, besides, I enjoyed our little nap together much more" Issei replied his words becoming quieter as he said the last part of his sentence.
"I- um- well" stuttered Raynare as she blushed brighter than the sun.
"Wow, it looks like you enjoyed it more than I thought, your blush is deeper than Rias' hair" chuckled Issei before he remembered the meeting he'd missed with Rias this morning and how he was going to see her straight after school.
"Oh crap I just realised I meant to go and see Rias right after school since I missed our meeting this morning because I was late" yelled Issei.
"So that's why you turned into a tornado and flew out the house that fast" replied Raynare understanding Issei's unusual behavior from that morning.
"Yes that was why, sorry Ray but i've gotta go and see her now, I might make it since she usually stays pretty late to deal with club matters" Issei told Raynare as he rushed towards the ORC clubroom.
As he was running across the grounds he realised Raynare was following him and turned to face her once they were at the clubroom.
"What're you doing?" Issei asked.
"Well I might as well come with you since they may have some questions for me due to my fallen status and i'm already here" replied Raynare.
"Also I want to spend a little more time with you" she muttered quietly to herself, unaware that Issei had managed to hear.
"Alright then, let's go together" Issei said, smiling as he took her hand and climbed the stairs up to the doors of the clubroom, a fire lit up in both their hearts upon contact and both recipients knew the other meant more to them that they'd first thought.
Upon entering the room, the atmosphere noticeably became more tense as Raynare locked eyes with a shocked and disgusted looking Akeno. Sparks literally threatened to fly as Akeno's hand cackled with her lightning until Rias placed as hand on her shoulder. Akeno calmed herself but remained on guard as Issei mentally cursed himself for bringing a fallen into contact with her when she was already struggling with her heritage.
Issei sent Akeno an apologetic glance before turning to Rias.
"Rias i'm sorry I missed our meeting this morning, I was catching up with Ddraig and lost track of time, by the time I got here it was already time for class" apologised Issei.
"It's fine, I was a little busy this morning myself, why don't we all sit down" replied Rias.
Everyone moved to the other side of the room and sat down upon the couches. Rias and Akeno occupied one, Koneko and Kiba took another and Issei and Raynare took a third.
"Right, down to business, this involves the whole peerage so do you know where Asia is" asked Rias.
"She's at my house sleeping right now, I can fill her in on the information you share tonight" replied Issei.
"Very well, as you know the rating game with Raiser approaches, we only have 2 weeks before the official date, which is why I wanted to ask you something Issei" stated Rias.
"What would that be?" asked Issei.
"I would like you and Asia to accompany us to my estate in the underworld for a 10 day training tip to prepare for the rating game" answered Rias.
"What about my classes?" asked Issei.
"My friend Sona is the student council president, she owes me a favor so I should be able to get her to cover your absence" replied Rias.
"I see" said Issei, while the trip was sudden it would benefit the whole peerage and possibly even himself in the long run, there was only one thing that was left loose.
"What about Raynare?" asked Issei, earning surprised looks from Raynare and Rias and an upset look from Akeno.
"What do you mean" asked Rias.
"What would Raynare do during our trip, we can't just leave her alone at my house, what if her old boss sends people to kill her, i'm not saying she's weak but this guys seems like he'd have the power to send more than she could handle" stated Issei.
"Well what do you propose we do about this then?" asked Rias.
"You still have a free knight piece don't you Rias?" questioned Issei.
"Yes I do, are you asking me to reincarnate Raynare into my second knight?" asked Rias.
"I am, I believe she would be a great asset to the team, she can move almost as fast as me in my balance breaker with her wings, with a little training she could be the fastest person on the team" insisted Issei.
"Are you sure i'd be able to help?" Raynare asked Issei a little uncertain if she was valuable enough for the role of a knight.
"I'm sure Ray, you're an excellent fighter and I wasn't exaggerating the speed I believe you could reach, so Rias?" Issei assured Raynare before turning back to Rias.
Slightly disheartened along with all the girls of the ORC upon noticing the affectionate nickname Issei used to address Raynare, Rias answered her pawn.
"Very well, if this is your price to accompany us on our training trip then I accept" replied Rias as she took a knight chess piece out of her pocket.
Issei gave Raynare a reassuring glance before she stood up and walked over to Rias. A crimson red magical circle appeared on the ground and Rias told Raynare to lie in the middle of the circle before placing the knight piece on her chest. The piece glowed crimson and was absorbed by Raynare who then stood up and let out her wings.
"Wow" she mustered.
Her left fallen wing had been replaced by a devil wing while her right wing had been left untouched, she was now the second fallen/devil hybrid. Akeno stepped forward and looked at Raynare's wings for a while before holding out her hand for Raynare to shake. The newer hybrid did just that and created a bond between the two fallen/devil hybrids in the world.
Everyone smiled at the scene, Akeno had finally found someone with the same biology as her to relate to, the woman in question was finally able to feel some sort of peace with her being, she was far from healed from the scars her past and father had left her but they were for another day, the peace she felt now was the important matter.
Eventually after many smiles and a few tears, Rias spoke up.
"Everyone, i'd like to thank you all for being a part of my peerage, without you all I could not be as happy as I am right now, I know for sure we can win this rating game and show that fried chicken who the future kings will be" stated Rias to unanimous applause and support from everyone in the room.
"The training trip begins tomorrow, so everyone be here bright and early" she reminded the group while looking at Issei with mock seriousness.
"Okay I got ya" Issei blurted out a little more formally that he would have liked, earning another round of laughter from the rest of the group.
It was a long road to get here, it began with deep loss and the path to this moment was paved with many hardships but Issei had made it, he'd found a reason to tear through the darkness, these people were his reason to live and he would protect them with his life.
I'M BACK BITCHES
The writer's block was a hard obstacle to overcome but like Issei, I have emerged and found a new purpose to live/write for.
Did that sound cringy, probably, do I give a fuck, hell nah :P
Hope ya'll enjoy the longest chapter yet and don't worry, I have a lot of this stuff planned out ahead so while ya might have to wait a bit, the ride ain't ending anytime soon.
So thank you to all who read, review and moo. Until next time,
BK out